Post 351

I glanced at the post count on the dashboard for my blog site, as I clicked the button to write a new post, and noticed I had hit the 350 mark.  I suppose that is cause for some celebration, I’ve been at this now for a couple of years, and I’ve found the blog to be one of the best journal exercises I’ve ever done.  The ability to go back and search and find images and data on specific projects, trips, events, and just plain musings is absolutely invaluable.  Before blogging, I’d fill journals, which are all over the book shelf, and not in any kind of order, and not nearly as colorful and no “links” other than the occasional business card stuck in for good measure.  Even if no one read my posts, I find them to be so helpful for keeping records of everything I care about, and sometimes things I didn’t think were terribly important but recorded them anyway, which of course turned out to be a pretty darned good thing…  You’ll see why when you read the End Notes column for the next issue for Handwoven Magazine.  It was because of a particular blog post I was able to find and recreate the images and details for the column.  Stay tuned.

Anyway, I’ve been semi productive this week, but largely I’ve spent the week doing that dreaded task everyone hates in the late winter, even ice removal is preferable to the dreaded bookkeeping…

And I’m still fuming over Microsoft dumping its money program, I loved Microsoft Money, and when they no longer supported it, we had to switch to Quicken, which I’ve used now for a couple of years, and I still hate it.  With a passion.  So I’ve printed reports, edited reports, reprinted reports, gathered data that wasn’t in the reports, and organized as best I can for the accountant next week.  We are about a month and a half ahead of tax preparation scheduling this year for two reasons, 1) my husband is leaving shortly to return to Saudi Arabia for another month, and 2) the FAFSA federal student aid required form must be submitted ASAP, which is calling for 2010 data which we haven’t compiled yet.  Since the seven schools that have accepted my daughter so far for college are requiring the form, we had to do a quick estimate for our taxable income which is virtually impossible for me to do.  Which is why I hire an accountant, which is why he is coming next week, which is why I spent most of the week ripping my hair out and throwing things at my computer.

Which could account for why my card reader no longer works?

Which is why I couldn’t post a new blog earlier in the day, I had to wait for my husband, who was skiing today, to return home and scrounge the electronics warehouse in the office for a new one.  Which he found in short order.  Which is why I am blogging now.  With pictures.

I finally got to teach class #2 at the community college (after numerous snow cancellations), which was all about spinning  yarn.  I try to run through all the demos and samples the week prior to each of the classes that I don’t teach on a regular basis.  Inkle weaving for instance, I teach all the time, I just pack and go.  (OK, I have to dig 10 inkle looms out of the attic, but you get the idea…)  Next week I’ll be teaching dyeing, and for safety reasons  and practicality I am going to use food grade dyestuffs, which I’m not use to using.  Obviously if you read my posts, you know I’ve spent the last couple of months dyeing every white cone of rayon in sight with MX dyes, but Kool-Aid isn’t on my immediate radar.  And I haven’t actually had much experience with PAAS Easter Egg dyes.  Two summers ago, I dyed a batch of wool every morning in the crock pot, but there I was using Cushing dyes.  So I wanted to run some basic formulas, and have printed no less than 100+ pages of web data for support.

Anyway, my Shoprite Grocery store had the most adorable crock pot, for $10. and I picked up a couple.  It doesn’t hold very much, maybe half an ounce of fiber, but it is great for sampling, and I tested a couple of things, like the Easter Egg Dyes.  It is so adorable.

I also played with Kool-Aid in the microwave, cutting some of the candy colors with Wilton Icing Dye complements.  I made a batch of granola while I watched yarn cook both on the stove and the microwave.

I love this granola recipe, it lasts for a month of breakfasts, since one serving is only a 1/4 cup, and it only has a half cup of maple syrup for the sweetener, and very little salt.  Pure seeds, nuts, and grains.  And a 1/4 cup lasts me till lunch.  The nice thing about working with food grade dyestuffs, is you can actually cook around the dyes, so I took advantage of a few minutes in my kitchen.

I made progress on the trim for my new jacket, and I actually started sewing the jacket last night.  It is all cut out, and all the lining, interfacing, and other notions are all stacked and ready to go.  The skirt on this suit has a high funnel waist, with boning.  Odd.  I can’t quite picture wearing a skirt waist with boning, but I want to try it for kicks and giggles.  This will be a first.  As a matter of fact, I ran out of boning making my Frosted Florals gown so I’m resorting to plan B.  Stay tuned for that adventure, another first.  I don’t see any reason why it won’t work…

And I finished up the run of six Night at the Arcade Scarves, so they are hanging to dry.  The colors are so fantastic.  I’m proud that I dyed most of the yarns for this group.  Gotta love those MX dyes!

So life chugs along, and yes, once again I haven’t bothered to get dressed today.  Pajamas are so comfortable crawling around in the studio.  My daughter brought home friends from school and there I was at the kitchen sink in my purple pajamas rinsing fleece.  🙂

So the drying rack is full of drying fleece, and colored yarn, (the golden yellow on the lower left is dyed with turmeric, the kitchen smelled great) and my bookkeeping is done, and I’m ready to pull yarn to start thinking about another scarf run.  I’m about to post number 351, thanks for reading along with me, it has been a grand adventure so far!

Stay tuned…